Maryland Officials Scale Back Boating Fee Hikes

Department officials say the changes were made after meeting with boaters and others who would be affected.

Boat registration currently costs $24 every two years. DNR says it will now propose fees ranging from $25 for boats under 16 feet up to $300 for boats more than 65 feet long. A bill before state lawmakers originally called for fees ranging from $50 to $700.

The department says registration fees have not increased since 1983. And revenues from a tax on boat sales, the major source for a fund used to maintain waterways, have dropped along with declining boat sales.

DNR says that has left it able to fund 11 percent of requests for fiscal 2012.